These include three village panchayats, two tiger reserves and informal network of forest protection committees
Recognising the models of biodiversity governance for the first time, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, in collaboration with Government of India and United Nations Development Program (UNDP), has awarded six pioneers in the field with India Biodiversity Awards 2012.
The winners include three village panchayats –
Tanda panchayat in Wadala village
Shankarpur village gram panchayat in Maharashtra
Pir Jahania Jungle Suraksha Committee in Gundlaba village of Odisha;
Two tiger reserves—Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh
Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala;
one informal network of forest protection committees—Van Utthan Sansthan in Rajasthan.
The award carries a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh and a citation and was given to institutions based in India that are engaged in the nominated biodiversity management activities for at least five years.
The awardees shared their experience in conservation with media persons on October 18. Vinayak Bagade of Shakarpur village gram panchayat said decentralisation of local self-governance bodies and biodiversity management committees was the key to their success. “We used around Rs 1 crore from Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act for forest conservation and we are demanding additional 1,500 hectares now for afforestation.”
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